Here’s how to get to sleep when it’s freezing outside

It’s pretty cold out at the moment. You might have noticed.

All those complaints you had about it being too hot last summer? Yeah, bet you’re regretting those right about now.

Things have gone full circle – you’re probably not getting enough shut-eye purely because it’s too chilly to focus on anything other than the cold and you’re lying there shivering instead of getting your beauty sleep.

However, bed company Sealy UK have tried to help you on this front, with a few tips on how to sleep longer and better when it’s cold out.

• Feeling chilly? Why not try one of our best electric blankets

Seeing as they have someone within the business whose literal job title is ‘Chief Sleep Officer’, it feels like they’ll probably know what they’re talking about.

You already know how much sleep you should be getting every night, but other things like quality of sleep are important too.

Sealy UK’s Neil Robinson, the Chief Sleep Officer in question, has offered a few ideas for what we should be doing.

1. Take a bath

The first piece of advice is to take a bath before bed, because “The drop in body temperature immediately after you’ve got out of the bath mimics the body’s natural decrease in temperature as it prepares itself for sleep, inducing feelings of sleepiness.” Pretty smart, huh?

2. Consider your dinner

He recommends you eat sensibly before bed, with a “lighter and more nutritious meal” in the evening, rather than relying on huge, instantly warming plates of food.

3. Sip on something warm (but avoid caffeine)

“Within an hour of heading to bed, warm yourself from the inside-out with a nice warm drink. However, stay away from the tea and coffee - caffeine is likely to be counter-productive, making it harder to sleep and causing you to wake up needing the toilet in the night due to its diuretic effects. Instead try a cup of herbal tea, such as camomile. This contains an antioxidant called apigenin - known to bind to specific receptors in your brain and which may help to decrease anxiety and induce sleep.”

4. Share body heat

“Two bodies means twice the body heat so if you have a partner, use the winter months as an excuse to snuggle up by pooling your body temperature and sleeping close to one another. You could even allow your pet to stay in your room for a little extra warmth in the winter months as well.”

5. Avoid overheating your room

“Although it can be tempting to turn the heating up to full to keep your room cosy, having your bedroom too warm throughout the night can impact on the quality of your sleep. The optimum temperature during the night to ensure good quality sleep is 16-18°C, so it’s important to remember to turn down the heating with enough time to allow your room to cool to the optimum temperature. Try switching off your heating 1-2 hours before you want to go to bed.”

6. Get the right duvet

“It’s important not to underestimate your tog rating when it comes to duvets, and it’s vital to ensure you have a different duvet for both winter and summer as what works in one climate won’t work in the other. The correct duvet will keep you at just the right temperature so you’ll enjoy deep sleep every night, even if it is cold outside. I’d recommend opting for a 13.5 – 15 tog duvet for the winter months - you could even try an electric blanket if you want to be extra toasty.”

(Images: Getty/Pexels)